2 It was the day after
Curiatius Maternus had given a reading of his Cato, by which it was said that
he had irritated the feelings of certain great personages, because in the
subject of his tragedy he had apparently forgotten himself and thought only of
Cato. While all Rome
was discussing the subject, he received a visit from Marcus Aper and Julius
Secundus, then the most famous men of genius at our bar. Of both I was a
studious hearer in court, and I also would follow them to their homes and when
they appeared in public, from a singular zeal for my profession, and a youthful
enthusiasm which urged me to listen diligently to their trivial talk, their
more serious debates, and their private and esoteric discourse. Yet many
ill-naturedly thought that Secundus had no readiness of speech, and that Aper
had won his reputation for eloquence by his cleverness and natural powers, more
than by training and culture. As a fact, Secundus had a pure, terse, and a
sufficiently fluent style, while Aper, who was imbued with learning of all
kinds, pretended to despise the culture which he really possessed. He would
have, so he must have thought, a greater reputation for industry and
application, if it should appear that his genius did not depend on any supports
from pursuits alien to his profession.
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